So you want to make a stir fry from scratch but all of the recipes you search for call for soy sauce? You check out all of your cupboards and it’s the one ingredient you don’t have!
You could run back to the shop and pick up a bottle or you could make this stir fry sauce without soy sauce recipe and save yourself time and energy. It is not an essential ingredient especially if you have plenty of other umami boosters involved!
This sauce is also pretty universal and you can use it for countless different kinds of stir fries including chicken and beef stir fry – it’s just worth noting that it is not vegetarian.
It is super easy to make and it stores well in the fridge, so you can make a lot of it and use it when you need it instead of having to make it each time you want to have a stir fry for dinner.
It also works super well with my tofu marinade (which also doesn’t call for soy sauce, much like my dumpling sauce and my peanut sauce).
How to Make Stir Fry Sauce Without Using Soy Sauce
This sauce is super easy and it really only involves pouring a few ingredients into a bowl and whisking. There are some speciality Asian ingredients that I call for, but they are all very easy to find in basic supermarkets.
The first step is, in a small mixing bowl, add some hoisin sauce. Hoisin adds a lovely sweetness to the stir fry sauce that actually prevents us from having to add any additional sugar.
To the hoisin, add in a bit of oyster sauce. This is one of those ingredients that may seem difficult to get, but I have been in supermarkets all over the world and been able to get it whenever I’ve wanted — including in the Czech Republic and the Republic of Georgia!
The oyster sauce will add a salty umami quality that you get without having to use soy sauce. It works perfectly with all kinds of stir fries!
Next, add some fish sauce to your bowl. Fish sauce is probably one of my favourite ingredients in the world and I use it in so many different applications (from beef stew to tartar sauce to shrimp scampi), but it works perfectly here, as well.
Again, it adds umami and saltiness and is one of the most perfect substitutions for soy sauce.
To add a bit of heat, then make sure to squeeze in a bit of sriracha. And in order to have a bit of tanginess, rice wine vinegar works perfectly. And for some nuttiness, add some toasted sesame oil.
Now, using a rasp-style grater, grate in a clove of garlic and some peeled, fresh ginger.
If you don’t have fresh ginger on hand, you can use about a quarter of the quantity of dried ginger.
Add a bit of water to dilute and thin out the sauce a bit and whisk vigorously to ensure all is well combined.
Then, you can use the sauce immediately or keep it in the fridge to use at your leisure!
Stir Fry Sauce Without Soy Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1½ tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
- 1 clove garlic grated
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sriracha, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and garlic.
- Pour over 60ml (¼ cup) water and whisk until fully homogenous. Use immediately in a stir fry or save for later.
Video
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Making a stir fry sauce without any soy sauce is super easy and maybe even more delicious.
Are you looking for a great stir fry sauce recipe? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
I do not like soy sauce. This is a good alternative for stir fries. A keeper!
Happy you liked it!
Can I leave out the oyster sauce?
You can, but I would increase the fish sauce a bit to compensate. Note that the consistency will be a bit runnier.
This recipe came to the rescue!! Middle of cooking up my stir fry before I realized I didn’t have any soy sauce left. 🙏🏻 Thank you thank you thank you! Saved my evening 😀
I’m so happy this helped!
Hoisin Sauce is made from soybean paste so this reciepe isn’t soy allergy friendly.
This recipe isn’t intended to be soy allergy friendly – it is merely for those who don’t have or have run out of soy sauce 🙂